Stitch-regulating means for knitting machines



Jan. 12 1926.

R. w. SCOTT ET AL STITCH REGULATING MEANS, FOR KNITTING MACHINES,

Filed Deq. 21. 1922 s Sheets- Sheet 1 INVENTOR fimwsmww Qi-TA BY MAM ATTORNEYS Jan. 12 1926.

R. W. SCOTT ET AL STITCH REGULATTNG MEANS FOR KNITTING MACHINES 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 21, 1922 zi=======- L INVENTOR- Y ""9 M ATTORNEYS Jan. 12 1926. "1,569,632

R. W. SCOTT El AL STITCH REGULATING MEANS FOR KNITTING MACHINES Fi led Dec. 21. 1922 s Sheets-Sheet 5 Tiq.5. I

ATTORNEYS Patented Jan. 12, 1926.

UNITED STATES 1,569,632 PATENT- OFFICE.

ROBERT W. SCOTT, OF BABYLON, AND ALBERT E. PAGE, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNORS TO SCOTT 8c WILLIAMS, INC., OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

STITCH-REG'E TLATING MEANS FOR KNITTING MAGHINES.

Application filed December 21, 1922. Serial No. 608,196.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ROBERT \V. Soon, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Babylon, in the county of Suffolk and State 55 of New York, and ALBERT E. PAGE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Brooklyn,

in the county of Kings and State of New .York, have invented new and useful Imrovements in Stitch-Regulating Means for 1 knitting Machines.

The main object of our invention is to pro vide a simple and effective means for automatically regulating the length of the stitches or knitted loops in the formation in the knittingon a knitting machine, independently of the main pattern means, which control the other automatic movements of the machine. Our invention has been de-- signed more particularly for use on circular knitting machines and is especiallyuseful in such machines for knitting seamless hosiery for womens wear, in which it is important to shorten the length "of the stitches or knitted loops from the upper part of the leg down to the ankle, in order to give the desired shaping or fashioning to the stocking below the calf of the leg.

In the well-known Scott and Williams cir-' cular hosiery knitting machine, of which an example is illustrated inthe Scott Patent No. 1,152,850, Sept. 7, 1915, this change in' drum that it is difficult to get a suihcicnt number of cams on the drum properly timed with reference to each other. By our invention we relieve the pattern drum of the duty of regulating the stitch length and this we accomplish by providing a simple inechanism which is actuated independently of the drum to automatically effect the vertical adjustment of the needle cylinder to change the length of stitches at the desired times during the operation of the machine, as we will now describe.

In the accompanying drawings we have shown our invention ass applied to a Scott and WVilliams hosiery knitting machine of the same general construction as is disclosed in the above mentioned Scott patent, but it will be understod that the invention may be embodied in other constructions of knitting machines.

Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of sufiicient of such a machine to il-- lustrate our improvements;

- Fig. 2 is a front view, partly'in section: Fig. 3 is an end View of the ratchet feed wheel for the stitch control:

Fig. 4 is a sectional View of the ratchet wheel:

Fig. 5 is a side view of the same.

In these views, a part of the lower frame,

Work of the machine. is represented at A, while at B is indicated one of the side frames supporting at their upper ends the bed plate D, in which is mounted the rotary knitting head, and at 120 is indicated the pattern drum all of which may be of the same general character as disclosed in the above mentioned Scott patent, and more fully in the Scott Patent No. 1,189,220, dated June 27 1916. In these drawings, we have used the same letters and numerals of reference which were used for the like parts in both those Scott patents. v a

The tubular column 280, through which the knitted fabric passes down from the knitting head, is guided at its upper end in a pendent flange 259 in the under side of the bed plate D and can be vertically adjusted therein, in order to impart vertical adjustment to the needle cylinder 260 through the medium of vertical supporting pins 256 as indicated in Fig. 1, and as fully shown and described in both the before mentioned patents of Scott.

The immediate means for raising the column 280, includes a lever 281 pivoted at 4-50 to the side frames Band having a laterally projecting arm 286 on which rests a lug 287 secured to the exterior of the hollow column 280, through an adjustable screw This supporting lever 281 has in the present instance an extension 2810 with an adjustable bearing screw 2811 to rest upon the eri hery of a. cam C which is carried by, utns free to turn with reference to the intermittently rotated shaft 80 which in the Scottand Williams machine is known as the pattern cam shaft.

This pattern cam shaft 80 is racked interfmittently'through a pawl and an irregular toothed rack wheel whosecflective action is determined by the lugs on the pattern chain, as described in the above mentioned Scott Patent 1,152,850.

Attached to this camC is a ratchet wheel R, by means of which this cam may be rotated intermittently. Such intermittent.

feed motion may be in'iparted to this ratchet wheel R and therefore to the cam G by means of a reciprocating feed pawl P, which is pivoted at p to a rocking arm S, this latter being pivoted to the side frame B at s.

A spring 12, connected at one end to the side frame and at the other to an arm p of the pawl P, tends to press the acting end of the pawl P into engagement with the periphery of the ratchet wheel at all times. The free end of the rocking arm S bears against a hub t on the usual rocking quadrant 7 of the Scott and WVilliams machine.

' This quadrant 75 is oscillated on the center 76 in the side frames B of the machine in the usualmanner. The spring 39 tends to kee the end of. the arm S thus in contact wit the rocking arm 75.

The peri hery of the ratchet wheel R has a long toot or idling space 1', on which the acting end of the pawl P can idle back and forth at the time when desired, as for ex,-

ample, during the knitting of the foot of the stocking.

In order to thereafter bring the toothed I part of-this ratchet wheel B into the path of the reciprocating pawl P, we provide the following means:-

To the end of the intermittently rotated pattern cam shaft is secured a cap N, to the outer endof which is secured a plate M carrying a spring blade 0, whose free outer end projects beyond the plate M, and is adapted to contact 'with' a pin 0' on the side face of. the cam C. When the ratchet wheel R is stationary during the time the pawl. P is idlin on the face 1' of the ratchet, this spring bla e O turning with the shaft aocaese drum is racked only when changes in the knitting are desired and therefore may not be; moving when changes in stitch length are desired, the shaft 80 cannot be availed of to drive the cam. However, the shaft can be used to bring the toothed part of the ratchet wheel into the path of the recipro eating pawl at the proper time and then the pawl 1 can be used to produce the faster and regular drive of the cam necessary to produce the proper change of stitch length of the leg.

During the time that the feed pawl 1 is idling on the part 1 of the ratchet wheel R, the pin 281i of the pivoted arm 281 may,

be resting in the depression 1 of the cam (l, permitting the needle cylinder to occupy its lowest position for. the formation of the short stitches. \Vhen the blade 0 has turned the ratchet R and cam C to bring the feed pawl P to engage the teeth of the .ratchet, the pin 2811 on the arm 281 will be resting on the highest part of the cam C and the needle cylinder will be raised to its highest position to form long stitches at the top of'the stocking This arrangement is predicated upon the assumption that the stocking is to be knit from top to toe, but

of course, the-reverse arrangement maybe" provided, and the cam C constructed accordingly. As shown, the cam C is arranged to let the needle cylinder descend and so shorten the stitches, as will readily be understood.

The plate M with-its blade 9 is preferably made rotarily adjustable on the cap N, by having headed clamping screws n, 01. passing through segmentalslots m, m in the plate and secured to the cap N. Likewise the pin 0 is made adjustable, by threading its inner end so that it may be-fitted into any one of a series of holes q in the-side face of the cam C. y

We prefer to bend the free outer end of the blade 0 to produce a bevel 6, Figs. 3 and 5, so that in case the parts get out of time and it becomes necessary to turn the ratchet wheel by hand, the'pin 0' may pass under the beveled end of this spring blade 0, and'raise the latter until the pin 0' has passed beyond the blade to its proper position.

Instead of mounting the ratchet wheel R V and cam C to turn directly on the shaft 80 or its ca'p N, we prefer to interpose betweenthis cap N and the cam and ratchet a flanged friction collar F (Fig. 4), ,to which is attached a pair of fiat blades E The free end E of these blades bears against the side of the ratchet wheel R to prevent over-running of the latter. The blades are held stationary in any suitable way, as by having their lower end fitted into a notched plate machin g, secured to the table A of the \Veclaim as our invention: 1. A circular knitting machine, having a frame and vertically adjustable supporting means for the knitting head to vary stitch length, in combination with a cam and devices whereby the latter ac'ts upon said adjustable means, a pawl and ratchet feed in connection with. said cam, a attcrn cam shaft upon which said cam an ratchet are mounted to turn, the ratchet having idling means and devices by which said shaft may whereby said cam acts upon said adjustable means, a pawl and ratchet feed in connection with said cam, the ratchet having an idling space, and devices fast on said shaft adapted to move said ratchet. from its idling position. 1

3. A circular knitting machine, having a frame and vertically adjustable supporting means for the knitting head to vary stitch patlength in combination with a cam and devices whereby the latter acts upon said adjustable means, a pawl and ratchet feed in connection with said cam, the ratchet having an idling part, a rotating shaft on which the ratchet may turn, a blade carried by the shaft and a pin carriedby the cam and ratchet, whereby the said. shaft may act upon the ratchet to move it from its idling position for the purpose described.

4. A circular knitting machine, having a frame and a vertically adjustable supporting means for the. knitting head to vary stitch len th in combination with a cam anddevices w ereby the latter acts upon said adjustable means, a pawl and ratchet feed in connection with said cam, the ratchet having an idling part, a rotating shaft on which the ratchet may turn, a spring blade with a beveled end on said shaft and a pin carried by the cam and the ratchet, whereby the said shaft ay act upon the ratchet but the ratchet In be turned independently of the shaft for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof we have signed our .names to thisspecification.

ROBERT'W; SCOTT. ALBERT E. PAGE. 

